Bob Wieckowski

Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville, seemed to be keenly attuned to the interests of lobbyist Rusty Areias on Tuesday during a hearing of the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

Too attuned, in the minds of some observers, who note that Alejo’s campaign fundraiser in Sacramento, Julie Sandino, is Areias’ wife.

Alejo was one of three Democrats on the committee who raised concerns before Tuesday’s meeting about the “heavy-handedness” of state Sen. Jerry Hill‘s proposed bill to allow public access at Martins Beach, a coastal property which billionaire venture capitalist Vinod Khosla bought in 2008. The original bill would have instructed the State Lands Commission to purchase access to the secluded San Mateo County beach through eminent domain if Khosla refused to allow visitors to return. (In 2010, Khosla ended a decades-old practice of allowing the public to enjoy the beach in exchange for a parking fee.) Continue Reading →

A MugshotMary.com website created by Wieckowski’s campaign highlights Hayashi’s October 2011 arrest for shoplifting $2,450 worth of clothes at San Francisco’s Neiman Marcus store; she remains on probation still. “Character matters,” the website claims, offering the hashtag #DontVoteForCriminals.

Part of the website outlines criminal problems of three sitting state Senators. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, has been indicted for allegedly selling official favors and conspiring to traffic in firearms without a license and to illegally import firearms. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, was indicted last month on bribery charges. Rod Wright, D-Inglewood, was convicted in January of voter fraud and perjury related to not living in the district he represents.

“Corruption in the California Senate is out of control. Three State Senators arrested or convicted in three months,” the website says. “Now, Mary Hayashi, who is on probation for shoplifting, wants to be your next State Senator. Do we really need another criminal representing us in Sacramento?”